An Urban Wildlife Refuge Partnership pilot project will be designed to increase awareness and appreciation of the
Los Angeles River watershed. (William Preston Bowling)

Two summers ago, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service ratified its
vision for the National Wildlife Refuge System at the Conserving
the Future: Wildlife Refuges and the Next Generation conference
in Madison, WI.

Several themes emerged from the July 2011 gathering: recognition of the nations
changing demographics; the impact of a changing climate; the need for landscapescale
conservation; the necessity of unprecedented collaboration; and the fundamental
importance of scientific excellence.

The bold ideas from Madison inspired the entire Service and challenged the Refuge
System to look at our work differently. Today, nine teams of Service employees are
taking tangible steps to make Conserving the Future a reality.

The Urban Wildlife Refuge Initiative team has identified new opportunities in underserved
markets. The team received more than 60 nominations for Urban Wildlife
Refuge Partnerships and has selected eight as pilots.

The pilots will be formally
recognized in September at the
Urban Academy, training at
which about 150 Service staff
and partners will share tools,
discuss overcoming barriers
to engagement and develop
strategies to implement
standards of excellence for
urban refuges.

The pilots are designed to
foster a land ethic in cities.
Here are two examples:
The Rhode Island Refuge
Complex and the Southern
New EnglandNew York
Bight Coastal Program will
collaborate with the city
of Providence, watershed
associations, the zoo, Audubon
and others to use the city
parks system as a portal to
reach urbanites. The San
Diego Refuge Complex will
create a River Rover, whose
goal is to bring people to the
river and the river to the people in
Los Angeles. The project will involve
a mobile exhibit space to include an
interactive model of the Los Angeles
River watershed.

Via Conserving the Future, the
Refuge System also has committed to
landscapescale conservation planning
to integrate the best available science
to adapt to demographic and climate
change. The Inventory and Monitoring
SevenYear Plan: 20132020 includes
tools that help refuge managers
document/justify monitoring priorities,
streamline refuge management plan
development and catalog individual
refuge monitoring history.

Looking forward to the next two years,
the Service will increase quality hunting
and fishing opportunities on refuges;
improve working relationships with
state partners; and, where appropriate,
invest in accessible facilities. New
technology will be used to increase
virtual and inperson visitation.
An ambassador program will train
employees, volunteers, refuge Friends
and close partners to communicate and
interpret key messages to the public.

Like any other voyage, you have to get
out the compass and get your bearings
straight, Refuge System Chief Jim
Kurth said recently. We are making
progress. You are going to have
headwind, like this budget climate right
now, but this country will be strong
again, and, in the end, people in this
country like what we do and care about
wildlife and wild places and want us to
conserve these national resources. Its an
incredibly powerful recipe.

Anna Harris is the Conserving the
Future coordinator. To follow the
implementation teams work, go to
AmericasWildlife.org.